The holidays may bring extra challenges for families this year – and particularly so for individuals on the autism spectrum. Learn tips for coping with the holiday season during the pandemic, including ideas for talking to loved ones on the spectrum about the virus and self-care tips of caregivers who may be dealing with separation from loved ones.

Handouts are online HERE

About the speakers:

Ally Jordan, Ph.D. is a Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP) at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Jordan completed her graduate training at the University at Buffalo, SUNY and her pre-doctoral internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Jordan specializes in the assessment and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder. She currently works in a number of DBP clinical and research programs, including facilitating caregiver-mediated interventions to address challenging behaviors, and interventions to promote social-communication and play skills in young children with ASD.

Christine Hoffkins, M.Ed., BCBA is a research interventionist and assessor in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). Prior to joining URMC, she worked in public schools as a Special Education Teacher for seven years and most recently as a Behavior Specialist for three years. Her teaching experience and background in behavior analysis has helped to prepare her for her roles in ASD research related to social-communication, play skills, and teacher coaching.

Lisa Latten, MS Ed, is a health project coordinator in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and is active in the special needs parenting community.

Caitlin LeGros, CNM, MSN, is a Certified Nurse Midwife at the University of Rochester Midwifery group, and is active in the special needs parenting community.

Lisa Luxemberg, LMSW, is part of the interdisciplinary team working with providers in the physical and developmental pediatric clinic, the feeding team, and Quality Improvement projects within the division at URMC.  She has a lot of experience working with families in various aspects of Medical Social Work.

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Choosing Toys for a Child with Autism

October 12th, 2020|News|

If you find yourself shopping for a child with autism spectrum disorder, you might wonder about if there are certain toys and gifts are better than others. When choosing a gift for